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Common Dreams reports
[On November 22, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant of Texas] halted an Obama administration rule that would have expanded overtime pay for millions of workers, a decision that was slammed by employees' rights advocates.
The U.S. Department of Labor rule, which was set to go into effect on December 1, would have made overtime pay available to full-time salaried employees making up to $47,476 a year. It was expected to touch every nearly every sector [1] in the U.S. economy. The threshold for overtime pay was previously set at $23,660, and had been updated once in 40 years--meaning any full-time employees who earned more than $23,600 were not eligible for time-and-a-half when they worked more than 40 hours a week.
[...] Workers' rights advocates reacted with dismay and outrage. David Levine, CEO and co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council, mourned the ruling, saying the opponents were "operating from short-sighted, out-moded thinking".
"The employees who will be hurt the most and the economies that will suffer the most are in the American heartland, where wages are already low", Levine said. "When employers pay a fair wage, they benefit from more productive, loyal, and motivated employees. That's good for a business' bottom line and for growing the middle class that our nation's economy depends on. High road businesses understand that better compensation helps build a better work culture."
[...] Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), noted [2] that the rule would have impacted up to 12.5 million workers, citing research by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
"The business trade associations and Republican-led states that filed the litigation in Texas opposing the rules have won today, but will not ultimately prevail in their attempt to take away a long-overdue pay raise for America's workers", she said. "Unfortunately, for the time being, workers will continue to work longer hours for less pay thanks to this obstructionist litigation."
[1][2] Content is behind scripts.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 28 2016, @04:25PM
the whole point of a salary is that the employee gets guaranteed pay regardless of hours but has to do whatever it takes to do his/her job. This can be a good deal for the employee, if the money and the hours are right. If they are not, or if your employer changes the rules then quit or don't take the salaried position. we don't need the @#% federal government telling private businesses how to pay their employees!
of course, that's what all you businesses that have employees and collect taxes for the IRS get. how did you think sucking up to the feds was going to go? only traitors, cowards or idiots pay the IRS.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 28 2016, @05:56PM
Hi, as part of the human species, you are a member of a society. We work together and pool our resources. If you don't like it, get out. About 300 miles straight up then keep going.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 28 2016, @08:30PM
'If you don't like it, get out!' is never a valid response to someone who wants to see change because it could be applied to literally anyone. Respond to their actual arguments and positions instead.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Zz9zZ on Monday November 28 2016, @08:26PM
I'll take this one to extremes for you:
When government allows corporations to do whatever they want you quickly end up with dystopian crap like sweatshops, company towns where workers can never afford to leave, environmental pollution, etc.
Eventually you wind up back at slavery, which is basically what the company towns were, its just that they used accountants instead of whips. The true cowards are the people that abuse others for their own gain and hide behind "I'm a private business I can do what I want".
Government regulation is very much needed, but I'll grant that there is over regulation in some cases. The solution? Document the problematic regulation and come up with alternatives that still address the problems the regulation tries to solve without becoming overly burdensome to the businesses.
~Tilting at windmills~